CVLT Nation
Interviews Weedeater

Now this is fucking awesome…CVLT Nation got a chance to interview one of the bands that inspired us to start this webzine: The Almighty Weedeater. It was fun coming up with these questions, which took me back to my days growing up in Georgia. Not only is Weedeater a rocking band, but a cool bunch of country humans. For all those on the East Coast reading this: make sure you head out to the tour, peep the poster after the jump! Who let the weedmonkey out?

If each member of Weedeater could shapeshift into other beings, human or animal, who would it be, and how would this change the Weedeater sound?

Keko would be a Polar Bear, Shep would be an Anteater and Dixie would be a monkey. Turns out these are already our spirit animals, so our sound would remain unaffected.

What comes first when you guys are writing tunes – the riff or the bong hit?

The bong hit, of course. Then the riff, then another bong hit, etc etc.

Aside from being one of the best artists around, he’s a great guy and we’ve worked with him for years. As far as albums covers go, we couldn’t see doing one with any other artist at this point. We do tell him the basic idea of what we want, depending on the title/themes in the record, and he takes it from there and knocks it out of the park every time.

What are some of the things that you draw from for lyrical inspiration? Do the lyrics come to you before or after the music is written?

Life experiences are the inspiration. Most of the time the lyrics come after the riff has been etched, but there is no set rule.

At what point in your lives did you start listening to the blues? When I listen to your band, your baselines speak to me just as much as the vocals do…is that something that happens organically?

Very early in life. Yes that definitely happens organically.

Growing up, did you guys watch the Dukes of Hazzard, and if so, who did you root for? Who do you brothers dig more: The Marx Brothers or The Three Stooges?

Keko rooted for Cooter, Dixie rooted for Rosco P Coletrane (because of the futility therein) and Shep always rooted for Daisy. Tough call on that second part, but The Three Stooges win.

Did you guys watch Southern Wrestling when you were young, and who were some of you favorites? I’m talking about the Rick Flare, Dusty Rhodes & Tony Atlas era…did you ever practice moves on your homies as kids?

Yes, we did indeed watch this wrestling that you speak of. Keko’s favorite was Chief Wahoo McDaniels, Dixie’s fave was Junkyard Dog and Shep’s was Abdullah The Butcher. And we all loved Andre the Giant.

Was there one show that you went to as a youth that made you realize that you wanted to learn an instrument and start a band?

No.

What impact did the punk scene in NC have on the way you see the world and the way you make music?

It had a massive impact. From COC to All Tore Up, to Antiseen, From Beyond, Rural Swine, Brickbat, Spite and After Forever. There were a ton of great bands. There were so many amazing bands and shows that all impacted us over the years. That’s why the answer to your last question was a “No”.

Something that impresses me about Weedeater is that you guys seem to have a genuine love for each other. How important is friendship to what you guys do? What are some of the ways that you pass time while you are on the road?

Friendship is key, second only to a sense of humor. And that’s how we spend our time. Telling fart jokes; and cutting real farts too.

When you are touring, are there any down-home Southern meals that you crave?

Cheese grits, sweet tea, North Carolina BBQ, Calabash or fried seafood and Ms ev’s Shecrab soup.

When I listen to a Weedeater album, what always blows my mind are your roots music songs, like “Willow.” What’s the inspiration to have these kind of songs on your albums?

Stuff like “Willow” breaks the album up and lets it flow together. We feel it gives the whole thing more breadth.

What is your biggest satisfaction from playing live? And what is it about this upcoming tour that you like most?

Biggest satisfaction is just the feeling that we get from playing music with each other coupled with the reaction of the crowd, and the smile on our manager’s face…and the booze. The lineup for this tour (Cough, ASG, Weedeater) flows very well together. Despite being very different bands we are all after the same idea. Also we consider all of these guys good friends. We have a pretty good time together to say the least.